Introduction - My Bra Experience

Hi! My name is Ally. I'm 21 years old and I'm an aspiring artist.

To be honest, I've never really blogged before, save for when I was 11 years old and my best friend and I slapped together a couple of beauty sites. Still, we ripped everything off of Cosmogirl (ahh, the days of innocence).

Ten years later, I'm taking another stab at it, except now I have both personal experience and a thorough understanding of plagiarism :P.

Let me elaborate on the personal experience: it all started in the 12th grade, when I had a localized growth spurt. Where was it, you ask? In my bra. Suddenly I was "well endowed".

I was still wearing my sister's C-cup hand-me-down bras when it became evident that something was wrong; I was uncomfortable and spilling out of them. I figured that I needed new bras that weren't stretched out, so I went to a lingerie store near my house named Change. As fate would have it, this store specialized in larger bra sizes.

When I approached the salewoman, she asked me if I knew my size. I confidently answered, "34 C". She looked me up and down, smiled with sheer amusement, and replied, "There is no way you're a 34 C, hunny". 

I ended up buying a 30 F bra that day. I was stunned - how could this have happened? Why was my size so abnormal? I had never heard of anyone having a 30 F cup in my life. What's worse, they warned me that I really needed a 28 band, which even specialty stores did not carry in my cup size. Not only was every mainstream, relatively cheap bra store like Victoria Secret or La Senza off-limits to me, but even the expensive stores that specialized in uncommon sizes could not help me.

I tried to console myself with the knowledge that my 30 F bras still fit, and that after all, it was just a number/letter - albeit an expensive one.

But soon I grew even larger, and the F cups just didn't fit anymore. I also began noticing that the 30 band didn't seem to be supportive enough for my comfort or my appearance. I began looking high and low for 28 bands in larger cup sizes, but no store seemed to carry them. I couldn't even find 30 bands in sizes larger than an F.

Desperate for a bra that - at the very least - fully encased my breasts, I bought a few 34 DD's at La Senza. Because the bands were so incredibly loose, though, the straps had to take on full responsibility for supporting the weight of my chest. Obviously this caused a number of problems, from shoulder pain to a sagging silhouette.

Feeling frustrated and isolated, I began my search for a better bra again. I ended up finding a 30 FF at a high-end specialty store, which I shelled out around 200 dollars for. The band was still too loose, but due to my lack of options, I wore the bra practically every day.

Obviously, the straps and the band quickly stretched out, and the bra looked awful on me. 200 dollars for one month's worth of a kind-of-okay bra? Screw that.

I pretty much gave up on high end stores, and ended up wearing the same stretched out bra - the only one I owned that was vaguely comfortable and flattering - practically every day for a year.

Then one day, during one of my google-browsing sessions, I came across Bravissimo. Bravissimo is a reasonably-priced bra store in England that targets women with larger busts, while also carrying smaller band sizes. I quickly ordered off of their website (they ship worldwide), and excitedly awaited my order.

Through some expensive trial and error (shipping prices there and back), I found my size: 28 G.

I was ecstatic and relieved to find cute bras (my other ones looked like the kind your great granny might give away to charity), which actually felt secure, fitted, and comfortable. I looked way better in my clothes, I felt a lot sexier in my underwear, I didn't have to worry about embarrassing pop-outs, I did not have aching, sore breasts by the end of the day, and there were no more wires scratching me.

After feeling disregarded by the lingerie industry for so long, and dealing with the consequences of ill-fitting bras, I feel it's important to help other women who are struggling with the same issues. We all deserve to feel confident, beautiful, and comfortable.

That is why I plan to write about my experiences and knowledge in this blog, which will hopefully help other women find their perfect bra.

 

Me in a my favourite bra: Deco by Freya (I was too cheap to buy the matching undies - but these pink and grey ones kinda work!)

                                              
                                             
I won't lie, it feels weird to put pictures of my body online, especially because I recently recieved some pretty nasty comments about my bust size. But the lovely, confident women of Thin and Curvy and The Curvy Kitten have inspired me to be happier in my own skin, and I'd like to do the same for others.


Stay tuned for an in-depth review of the Deco Bra!